Process for producing ices

A process for producing an ice, comprising the steps of:

• allowing a material solution containing a sweetener to flow downward from the upper part of and along the surface of a freezing plate provided substantially upright, to thereby cause said material solution to freeze on and stick to the surface of said freezing plate to form an ice plate;
• breaking said ice plate into ice pieces having a diameter of about 20 mm at maximum;
• and
• filling a container with said ice pieces;
• said material solution being so controlled as to flow down in such a quantity that at least 30% of the solution freezes on and sticks to said freezing plate before the solution reaches the lower end thereof;
• and
• said material solution having a concentration so adjusted that said ice plate has a fragmentation resistance of 1,000 mm or less as measured by a dropping test method comprising the steps of putting the material in a low cylindrical container having a diameter of 88 mm and cooling over night to produce an ice plate with a thickness of 10 mm;
• putting the ice plate into a stainless steel ring with a diameter of 76 mm and, at a temperature of -20.degree. C., dropping a 47 gram steel ball onto the plate from various heights, the fragmentation resistance being the minimum height at which the ball breaks the plate.